The present invention relates to a headphone which is applied to ears of a user for private listening to music, watching a movie, or playing a video game, and more particularly to a headphone capable of providing the user with both auditory sensation, that is sounds, and bodily sensation, that is vibrations.
It is known that, when listening to music, if low frequency components in music signal are applied to the listener as vibrations as well as sounds through loudspeakers, the music can be enjoyed in a more stimulating manner.
In a conventional system using a headphone, there is provided a vibrator in or around an ear pad which is formed at each end of a headset. Thus vibrations are applied by way of the ear pad or the surrounding portions thereof.
In such a conventional system, the audio signals are applied to the tympanum as sounds through the ear pad, and at the same time, the vibrations are applied to the skin of the ear or the surrounding portions thereof through the same ear pad. Thus the sound, which is the auditory sensation, and the vibration, which is the bodily sensation, are both applied at substantially the same portion of the human body. Hence the auditory sensation and the bodily sensation are intermingled, thereby rendering it difficult to sufficiently feel the bodily sensation. Moreover, the sound caused by the vibrations becomes oppressive to the head, and hence discomforting to the listener.
An object of the present invention is to provide an audio device wherein a sufficient bodily sensation is applied without giving unpleasantness to the listener.
According to the present invention, there is provided an audio device comprising an electroacoustic transducer mounted on a clamp for converting an electric signal into an acoustic signal, an electromechanical vibration transducer for converting the electric signal into a mechanical vibration, and an abutting member having the electromechanical vibration transducer therein and mounted on the clamp so that the electromechanical vibration transducer is contacted with a cervix of a user when the audio device is worn on the head of the user.
The electromechanical vibration transducer is provided with an elastic abutting member so disposed to contact the cervix of the user when the audio device is worn on the head.
The electromechanical vibration transducer has a vibration generator and is mounted in a housing by a resilient supporting member.
The electromechanical vibration transducer has a motor and an eccentric member mounted on a rotating shaft of the motor.
The electroacoustic transducer is mechanically insulated from the electromechanical vibration transducer.
The electroacoustic transducer may be flexibly connected to the electromechanical vibration transducer.
The electromechanical vibration transducer is driven by a low frequency component of the electric signal.
The audio device further comprises a timbre controlling means for controlling a timbre dependent on the electric signal in accordance with the vibration generated by the electromechanical vibration transducer and applying the controlled electric signal to the electroacoustic transducer.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.